Separating materials, segregating materials, and contacting materials



Nov- 16, 1 43- G. w. RATHJENS SEPARATING MATERIAL, SEGREGATING MATERIAL AND CONTACTING MATERIAL Filed Oct. 4, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 16, 1943. 5. w, RATHJENS Y SEPARATING MATERIAL, SEGREGATING MATERIAL AND CONTACTING MATERIAL .Filed Oct. 4, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 (Ittorncg Nov. 16, 1943.

G. w. RATHJENS SEPARATING MATERIAL, SEGREGATING MATERIAL AND CONTACTING MATERIAL 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 4, 1940 Nov. 16, 1943. G, w. RATHJENS SEPARATING MATERIAL, SEGREGATING MATERIAL AND CONTACTING MATERIAL Filed 001:. 4, 1940 4 Sheets-She et 4 6. H4164 THJE/Vs,

NNN wm Patented Nov. 16, 1 943 SEPAKATING MATERIALS,'*SEGREGATING' MATERIALS, AND CON'IACTINGE I MATERI-'v ALS.

George w, Rathjens, SaltlLake City Utah 1 Applicationoctober 4, 1940, Serial No'. 359,783

*8 chains. ('01. ans-1a This inventionrelates toa method and apparatus for separatingmaterials, segregating materials and contacting non-coherent materials'capable of being dispersed in afiuid. Forces are de- Veloped whose underlying principles are'similar in some respects totho'se disclosed in myUnited States Patent No. 2,097,422, but the manner in which the force or forces acting upon the mate: rials are utilized, is novel. I

In separating different materials from one another, such for example, as precious metals from alluvial sands or gravel's, I have discovered that By this means aplane of shear is developed with 'in the-material mass, the location ofthis plane of shear being'determined by vari'ou'sfactors.

' "Themotion of the said surfaces is reciprocative and develops the significant shear-intermittently, not continuously, thatis tosay, onlyon the backwardstroke. -Thedegre'e of change in packing of theTpar'ticles immediately in front of the auxiliary surface; orithe'number of particles being: brought :intocontact with saidrauxili'ary surface, is great- I er during that unit of time in which shear is efthe nature or degree of packing between and among the different particles of which the mass is composed,'plays an important part. By closely. controlling the tenden'cyto pack, new "results in the various separating, segregating and contacting operations are attained. The inventionconfected in the mass, than during the portion oftime when such shear is not being developed. l

Intheadrawings, Ur

Fig.1 is a diagram representing in vertical sec- :tion takenlalongthe line of action, approximately a dispersion of. material particles atjthe beginning templates the employment of a nu'mber'of interrelated vibratory forces among which,'-'at-least one force stands characteristically apart, since it can be definitely controlled. This characteristic force-has a vertical component which acts in a direction counter to the force of gravity.

i The material to be operateduponis advantageously caused to advance along amain or primary surface because of the vibratory =motion thereof, until at the properpoint, at least aiportion ofthe advancing materialisintercepted by an auxiliary or secondary surface whichisainclined. relatively to the vertical, and slopes uD- wardly and forwardly with respect to the advancing material.v v

The material has'impressed upon its constituent'particles, a :certain directional force which causes the particles to move along and over the main surface, and in so doingto meet and contact the auxiliary surface or surfaces. J Becauseof the resistance oifered by. the auxiliary surface or surfaces to the moving particles, the material is compacted. In consequence. of all theforces acting upon them, the particles immediately in front of an auxiliary surfacebecome packed to a greater or lesser degree. The fact of this packing; however, does not mean that the particles are entirely deprived of mobility but on the contrary, the tendency to pack in reality assists ina continualreassortment of the frontal particles of the material mass, and also in a corresponding consolidation of other portions of the material. Such consolidau tion is brought about by moving the material along the main surface and bringing it into contact with the auxiliary surface which has its significant motion in a directionacounter to the. di-

reotion of motion of the material in a half ,c cla ,has occurred; i w s V in vertical section; represent- .ing ;a disposition off-forces, acting upon: certain f to Fig. 5, but showing a machine ofa cycleof reciprocative motiony "I Fig. 2, a 'diagramsimilar tovFig. 1, but representing approximately the further dispersion of the particles after the motion cycle has reached a 'point a-frac'tiomlessithan"one-half a motion Fig.4, a diagram similar toFigs; 1 andf2, but representingapproximately the packing of particlesin a'triangular zone of action after a fraca tional cyclic motion greater than one-half a cycle Fig.4; a diagram particles, and showingalso, acompound auxiliary @surface instead of the simple auxiliary'surface of -Figs. 1to,3;.

Fig. 5, an elevation, partly in l0ngitudinal,.verticaLsection taken ontheline 5--5, Fig. 6. through a machinesuitable for practicing the process;

ig.- 6, a'plan, partly inhorizontal-section, takenontheline6--6inFig.5;

V Fig. '7, a fragmentaryhorizontalsectioi1,tak en on theline 1 -1, Fig. 5, drawn to anenlarged scale;

Fig, 8, a vertical section taken on the line 8 -8,

9, avertical section taken on the line 9+9,

Fig. 5, drawn to approximately the same scale as Figs. 7 and 8, the screen and parts inthebackgroundbeing omitted;

. Fig. 10, a longitudinaLvertical sectionsimilar of 2 somewhat different construction; I v

F figs. 12 and 13, ,verticalsections takenrespectively on the lines l -2-l2 and l3e l 3;in' Fig-.ll;

Fig.- ll, a plan of an individual pan of .,Fi g, 10, drawnjto an enlarged scale; v

until their 'di-reetionis horizontal.

Fig. 14, another construction of the riflie pan in the portion enclosed 'by the broken line I4 in Fig. 12, drawn to an enlarged scale.

7 Referring to the drawings, the line -20 in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, represents a datum plane. The

' numeral 2| denotes a main or deck surface which is preferably substantially plane and is disposed to move u a d down, in able relation .to. thev datum pane N ad nt g ous in 1 rarallellismi with.

. In Fig. 1, the main surface 2| is shown in cor incidence with the datum plane 20-40.

In F the ma n face slicwncaz tet" has descended from the datum"planev .a; :distance corresponding to less than one-half a cycle of motion.

In Fig. 3, the main surface is shown in a position where it has completed more thanloneehalf a cycleof motion and where it is on itsway back to the initial position in the datum plane.

'Ihc.mainsuriace 2.1! interscctc-ri; bran auxiiiary nine-surmise; 22; which. disposed. :in. other th n a vertical: :pcsi icn, but so. .that it slope upwardl in the direction iii-motion of material particles. trawlin .cmer' at e: main surface and forms an obtuse-an led riilic poclsetm rhe main and; auxiliary surfaces arclavreferablyfixed ire-latively to each; other andmovc-a'sa ,un'it; mus

over the main surface, the line of reciprocative force must have a horizontal component, and the direction of travel of the material over the main In actual Practice the auxiliary surface 22 is limited in its upward extent, and its upper edge naturally transverse to the line of reciprocation. In being reciprocated, the said transverse upper edgemoves along the line of reciprocation,

thereby enera-ting a surface that may conveniently be called a surface of shear. If the said transverse upper edge is substantially straight, the surface of shear is plane, and may be..-'calfled: a. shear plane. In Figs. 1 to 3, the line 24 indicates the trace of such a shear plane. Theterm shear is derived from the fact that the upper edgecf the auxi ia y surface, because f th ine tia of th mas f material, shears th ough the p rticles in- Which-it is submerged. I

I BParatineand;/Q eg egating-materials. the sheanplane. auxiliary surface, and: the main. surfa ein F es. '1: o 3.-tcgether, usuallydefine; a pr sma ic one of triangular aclQSB-Sfifitioll, and it is ,in this zone that theprincipal characteristic actions are manifested. In usin the invention. for contacting purposes, such as pas ingecld particles, in lud n very fin 5.615;: overamalgam plates, the amalgam plates are advanta eously placed so. that the-planes thercef. are su stantially coincident or parallel,

.riafiwith the l ne of; action of the. appliedforce. In

shown-in '2: "Sincejtheauxiliary: surface; 22

is normally fixed inre'lation to-iihem-ain: surface, the auxiliary. surface, a-backwand strioke-v will have moved from the position Fig'. 1"to position ZZ' in'Fig. 2'. I

The unit moves. along the 'lfb wheneby' auxiliary surface in a downstroke is caused to cut through amassof material particles 21- along thes line Z4. Inethisportionof zt'hegcycle, materials immediately above-the main surfaoeare descend- .ing, many. ofthem verticallyr- The action of the auxiliary surface in its downward and backward movementis to. interceptithose particles in its zone of: influence so as to pack "the-"material ,closerand. at the same time 'to sub;i'ect"the particles which are being brought into contactwith such auxiliary surfaces, to the action or the forces represented by lines=2=5-and-25-l' inFig. 4.

The vertical arrows 28in Fig 4' represent' the resultants o-f allforcesacting vertically: on the particles'during that portion of-the cyclelnwhich the forcesand 25 ..l;--alsoaot on the"!"sa lrie particles. 1 I g I In'Fig. 3 arerepresented the positions of the main surface and the auxiliary surface itfthe time in the-cycle which is equal to zero hounplus a fraction of a cycle greater than one-haflff It will be noted that during'this'portion of the cycle, while thehuxiliarysurface is again jinovipg-u-pward and forward; the forces; 25' and 25-4 in Fig. 4, are not being developed with respect to the partieleimniedia-tely adjacent or contacting the auxiliary surface.

The forces 25 and 25- acteigj on the particle because of the obstructing nature of the auxiliary or barrier surface fl k'canbereducedto zero; or

- they can be increased at willfrom the zero value,

may, the old: is; caused to merely skim over the-amalgam: surface; and yet to effectively contact theecme, accomplishingperfect amal... carnation-slime .eoldwzithout causing the mercury teffleuri r p I hiss, 51th 1 illustrate apparatus for carrying invention: into practica'a certain construc- I tion'hcingshown in Figs. 5. andrfi, andanother in Fig. 10. t The one in Figsklii and 6' comprises the reciprocating cxmtainer'or sluice-30 Whose bottom. 32!; *1 provides themain surface 2=I'--l. snarled apart from one-another along the main surfacearefa pluralityv of riflies which provide theauxiliary' surfaces 22-4.

fIheis-luice is. mounted for reciprocation along the line .ofaction as indicated by the doublepointed :ai'row'lfl; and is supported on the flexible vibrators 35 and 35, the vibrators being in tnrnisupported. on the base members-31'. Recipnocator-y-motion maybe imparted to the sluice any'suitabl'e means, for example, a centrii. fugally actuated, reciprocatory motivating unit !3B. ,".of"'which there are several Well known and commercially available types in everyday use. The-particular'unit illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 comprises centrifugal weights 39 and 40 disposed to revolve around the respective centers H and 42,: the Weights. 'being intergeared. with each other. I H

The mechanism ofthe reciprocatorymotivatinguni t is'usually enclosed ina casing #3, which in turn may be rigidly mounted on the sluice 30, asindci':a'rted at, and receive-its power from a by neansof the respective pulleys if! and lfig and the belts 49. f The motor may be rigidlymountd on a stationary frame 53 extendingupwardlyfrom the base-*mem-bers 3-1. It isadvantageousthat a line 5| which connects the-centersof the motor and the reciprocatory' motivating unitto "one another, should make 2,334,217 substantially a right angle with the line of. ac-

tion 32 so that, while the center'Mdescribes a shortarc about the axis of. the motor shaft 52, this are is substantially"equivalent'to a short tangent described by the point ref-intersection between lines 32 and 51 The belts may beten sioned by means .of a spring take up 53,;

The length of a-stroke of the reciprocating sluice is governed. by the total weight of the sluice.

including itsliveload, relative to'the centrifugal weights of the reciprocatory.motivating..unit.

This means that in designing.a,machine,qthei dead and live Weights of the sluice, the rate of speed of the reciprocation, and the effect of-the centrifugal weights must all be correlated with onea'nothenf. I

The sluice in the present instance is'designed for. handling placer sands and gravels, and to this end forms a co'ntainerfor a suitable. liquid 1 such as water, indicated at 54, which submerges the rifflesincluding the auxiliary surfaces 22--l. The. depth of'the water may be regulated by an adjustable overflow device 56, which is provided with adjustable side-plates 57 and a cover .58. The overflow device discharges into a trough 59 which conveys the. overflowing matter to any suitable point of disposal (not shown)'.

Optional features of the sluice include .the screen or other perforated grid 60, 'andcne or more longitudinally extendingpartitions B2, by means of which latter the sluice is divided into a plurality of longitudinally extending compartments 63, thejpurpose of the partitionappearing presently. l i

In operation, the material to be separated may be brought to the. machine bymeans of a conveyor indicated in broken lines' at 64. The conveyor may discharge .intofa hopper 55, from which the material is discharged upon the screen 6i] along which, in thepresent instance, the relatively coarse material is propelled in the direction of the arrow, 61, "while the finer material passes through the screen and drops into the body of liquid 54 1 1 Because of the peculiar. vibratory motion and a high rate of reciprocation imparted to the sluice, as more fully explained. hereinafter, certain portions of the material beingtreated, accumulate in fro-ntoffthe auxiliary surfaces 22-! in accordance with the principles explained. in

connection with Figs, 1 to 4, andcertain other portions of the material pass overthe rifiles and emerge at the point 68, being there joinedby such portions as pass over the'screen 60. From the point 68 the rejectedportions'are discharged from the sluice at the point 69.

Make-up water mayadvantageouslybe supplied from a. tank '10 and'be fed to the sluice through the pipe 'H controlled for example, by a valve 12 having its discharge at 13. .After the machine has been running a certain length of time suificientj to collect the desired product in front of the auxiliary surfaces 22|, this product may be flushed out through the stop-cocks seywhich dischargeinto the trough 59, and be recovered at a suitable point.- The apparatus shown in FigsQlO to 14, introduces various differences in details of construction. In this case;'thebottom 14 of the vibratory sluice 15', is substantiallylevel instead of sloping as in the'case of the sluice in Fig. 5, and is provided with removable riffle pans 76, these being rigidly fastened in thesluiceby means of bolts 18 which extendthrough thebottom of the sluice.

The b'acks1B-l of the rifilepans may slope upwardlyas required, and be provided with adjustable and removable .riiiles l9, adjustment being effected for example, by rneansof. bolts 11 v inconjunction with slots 8|, In the event that the inclination of rifile;faces,-which constitute auxiliary surfaces, as hereinbefore referred to,

1 should require to be changed, wedge-shaped bars may be used. Wedges, such as theone at.88 of different angular. magnitudes may be supplied, and a great variety of slopes be therebybbtained Each wedge may provide two different slopes, one when the small part of the wedge is. at the bottom as indicatedin Fig. 14, and'another when the same wedge is inverted (not shown).

Referring to Figs. 6 and 9, the purpose of longitudinal partitions such as the one at 62, which divides the sluice into separate. compartments, is

to provide for emergencies occurring. at times 20 when a sluice is used in conjunction withplacer mining dredges. 'Such dredges' are frequently subject .to considerable listing, and when that takes place, the liquid tends all to run to one side of the sluice. By providing the longitudinal partitions, the liquid is kept from running to the one side, since it builds up .ineach compartment somewhat as indicated. by the broken lines '90. While only one partition 62 is shown, it is to be understood that in a sluice of considerable width,

it may be advantageous to use two or more longi- -4,0 the action of gravity alone. In other words, the

distancethat the liquid, and therefore the auxiliary or packing surfaces also, falls in a downstroke, mustbe at'least equal to gt It is also important in the invention, that all undue vibration be eliminated, and to this end I have evolved a'high speed reciprocatory system in which the formation of moments or couples is practically overcome; This system is described in an application for U. S. "patent whose filing date is even with that of the present application. The fundamental consideration in this reciprocatory system is that the center of gravity of the dead load of the sluice, is calculated separately from the center of gravity of the live] load thereof, and that the resultant center of gravity of both the dead and live loads, shall be located in the line of action of the appliedlmotive force. An important consideration of the invention is to give the proper value to the gravity eifectof the live load during its reciprocation. ;I have discovered that when high speeds of reciprocation are attained, such as those necessary. to 'cause the liquid medium to descend in a downstroke a distance greater than gt ,'the live load during reciprocation exerts only a fractional part of its actual weightupon the container. Thereloadmasa l have foundthat it is necessaryto regard this mass as being held infsuspension, therebyreducing its weight effect to as little as fore, inlocating the center of gravity of thelive- :The' location'offthe live-loadcenter oifgravity may be: arrived at empirical'ly, that isto say, by cut-andetry procedure, and highly satisfactory rcsults'obtainedi Barriers 9f, Figs.- 5 and 6',- extending .transversely of the" screen or 'p'erforate'd'surface 66, may advantageouslybe provided for packing at given points, the advancing material} particles larger than the openings in the screen or perforated surface, the packing being intermittently changedbecause of the reciprocating motion already described herein. A removable cover 92 for: the sluice is desirable for'confining the outward splashtof the contents thereof during operation. 1

Briefly summarizing the method of the invention, amaterial capable of being dispersed in a liquid, is 'fed .ontoa main surface or deck" sub merged by the liquid. The material is advanced in serrated paths along the submerged surface to a given point, and during its advancing-travel is subjected-to. certain separative and/or segregative influences, because of the peculiar reciproc'ative motion imparted to the submerged surface. The

formation of'the serrated pathsis fully set forth in U. 8-. Patent No. 2 ,097,422; -The peculiar" motion: is the result of reciprocatnigtth'e surface along a line having both a vertical and a horizontal component at least so rapidly that the vertical is equal to the aforesaid 9't Arriving at the given point, certain desired portions of the material are intermittently packed against a barrier or auxiliary surface which intersects the main surface and is inclined upwardly in the direction'of advance of the material. The auxiliary surface is also subject to the said peculiar reciprocative motion.

The reciprocating motion causes a continual change in; packing of. the material, the expression change in packing .being used to denote a change in the number of solid units in unit volume of material, either plus or minus-snore open packing if mi-nus---'closer packing if plus. -The zone of packing action is bounded at-le'ast partially by an imaginary shearing surface; and a surface of maximum packing. The novel packing result is accomplished because the tendency of the different material particles is to ascend the inclined, auxiliarysurface in characteristically different degrees.

In the instance of Fig. 10; the motivating unit 88 is somewhat difl'erent from the one shown in Fig. 5, but effects a similar result, being rigidly mounted at ill on the sluice This motivating unit includes the centrifugal weightslli and. 83-, and may be driven from a stationary motor M.

Thetlevel ofthe l'iquidilS may be maintained substantially opening 86. I

'lg'he line of action 81 of the motivatingforce is substantially perpendicular to the line 89 which 'constant by providing the overflow joins the centers of the motivating unit and motor in its mean position.

Having fully described myinv'ention what I claim is: r

1"; Apparatus for separating,segregating, and contacting materials capable of being dispersed withina liquid medium, including in combination, a container adapted to confine aliquid medium andhaving a deck surface disposed to be submergedfby the said liquid medium; an auxiliary riffle-surface whi'chint'ersects the said deck sur- I face, intermediate the boundary edges thereof, in

an acute angle and slopes upwardly relative to 4' the upward slope of the said auxiliary riliie-1 surface, making an acute angle with said deck surface, the saidmaterialsbeing thereby caused to advance across said deck surface against the f acute angle and, upward slope of said. auxiliary riflie-surface, and the upper 'edge of said auxih iary rifle-surface being-thereby caused to gener ate-a shear plane through the said materials at each down-stroke of the container,

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the said means for reciprocating the containerjis effective to move the container so rapidly that the liquid medium contained thereby descends in a down-stroke a distance at least equal to @913 3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the line of action of the said means for reciprocating the container passes substantially through the combined centers of gravity of the dead load and of the live load, inclusive of thev said liquid medium.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the said auxiliary riffle-surface is substantially parallel with the line of force.

5. Apparatus for separating; segregating, and 1 contacting materials capable of being dispersed within a liquid medium, .including in combination, a container adapted to confine a liquid me:

dium and having a deck surface disposed to be submerged by the" said liquid medium; means for reciprocating the container in up-strokes' and down-strokes, alternating one with another, and

along a line having a vertical component and a horizontal component, and which makes an acute angle with the said deck surface, the said materials being thereby caused to advance'across said deck surface in the direction of the upward slope of said line of reciprocation, the said line of action of the said means for reciprocating the container passing substantially throughthe combined centers of gravity of the dead load and of the live load, inclusive of the'said liquid medium.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the center of gravity of the live' load is considered from the standpoint of the effective weight of the live load duringrates of reciprocation such that the liquid medium descends in a down-stroke a distance greater than ui '7. Apparatus for separating, segregating, and contacting materials capable of being dispersed within a liquid medium, including in combination, a container adapted to confinea liquid medium and having a'deck surface disposed to be submerged by the said liquid medium; an auxiliai'y rifile-surface which intersects the said deck surface, intermediate the boundary edges thereof, in an acute angle and slopes upwardly relative to said deck surface so as to undercut advancing materials and form an obtuse angled rifile pocket;

means for reciprocating the container in up? strokes and down-strokes, alternating one with another, and alongaline having a vertical component' and a horizontal component and, which slopes upwardly in the same direction as the upward slope of the said auxiliary rifll'e-surface,

making an acute angle with saiddeck surface,

the said'materials being thereby caused toadaction of the applied motive vance across said deck surface againstthe acute angle and upward slope of saidauxiliary rifilesurface, and the upper edge of said auxiliary live load being considered from the standpoint of the efiective weight of the live load during rates of reciprocation such that the liquid medium descends in a down-stroke a distance greater than /2 t 8. Apparatus according to claim '7, wherein the said auxiliary rifle-surface is substantially parallel with the line of action of the applied motive force.

GEORGE W. RATHJENS. 

